PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron faced a major rebellion within his own party from left-leaning deputies on Tuesday in a crisis sparked by the backing of a toughened-up immigration bill by the far right under Marine Le Pen.
Macron swept to power in 2017 heading a broad centrist movement that rallied together the left and the right, but that fragile unity now risks cracking over the legislation.
Various amendments have seen the immigration measures further tightened from when the bill was originally submitted, with the left accusing the government of caving in to pressure from the far right.
Le Pen endorsed the new-look bill but key left-leaning members of Macron’s Renaissance Party and allied factions indicated they could no longer support it, with several ministers reportedly threatening to resign.
“We can rejoice in ideological progress, an ideological victory even for the National Rally (RN), since this is now enshrined into law as a national priority,” said Le Pen, a three-time presidential candidate who leads the RN’s lawmakers in parliament and is widely expected to stand again for president in 2027.
The RN had previously said it would vote against the bill or abstain.
Le Pen’s announcement came after a commission of upper-house senators and lower-house National Assembly MPs agreed a new draft of the bill, which had been voted down without being debated in the National Assembly last week in a major blow to Macron.
The legislation was, as expected, passed by the Senate but faces a far stiffer test in the National Assembly later Tuesday.
While on paper the government has the numbers for the legislation to be passed with the support of the right-wing Republicans, there are growing concerns within Macron’s camp.
Prominent left-leaning Renaissance MP Sacha Houlie said he would vote against the legislation and called on others to follow, with some sources saying that around 30 pro-Macron MPs could do so.
In a sign of the seriousness of the situation, Macron called a meeting of his ruling party at the Elysee palace ahead of the vote, party sources told AFP.
According to a participant at the meeting, Macron said he would submit the bill to a new reading rather than promulgate it if it were passed only with the help of the votes from Le Pen’s RN.
This means the government would not count the RN’s votes in support of the bill.
Health Minister Aurelien Rousseau, Higher Education Minister Sylvie Retailleau and Housing Minister Patrice Vergriete were meeting Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and warned they could resign, sources told AFP.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, an ambitious 41-year-old who has spearheaded the legislation, had warned Sunday that Le Pen risked winning the 2027 presidential election if the bill were not passed.
The left and hard-left have reacted with horror to the prospect of the legislation being passed, with the head of Socialist lawmakers in the National Assembly, Boris Vallaud, calling it a “great moment of dishonor for the government.”
Passing the legislation is critical for Macron, who cannot stand again in 2027 after two consecutive terms and risks being seen as a lame duck with more than three years left of his term.
The government does not have a majority in parliament since the legislative elections that followed his re-election in 2022.
“The political crisis around the immigration bill is a moment of truth where all the fragilities of Emmanuel Macron’s mandate are coming together,” the Le Monde daily said in an editorial.
Dozens of NGOS slammed what they described as potentially the “most regressive” immigration law in decades.
It is “the most regressive bill of the past 40 years for the rights and living conditions of foreigners, including those who have long been in France,” around 50 groups including the French Human Rights League said in a joint statement.
A key element is now that social security benefits for foreigners be conditional on five years of presence in France, or 30 months for those who have jobs.
Migration quotas can also now be agreed and there are also measures for dual-national convicts being stripped of French nationality.
“With this text directly inspired by RN pamphlets against immigration, we are facing a shift in the history of the republic and its fundamental values,” French Communist Party leader Fabien Roussel said.
Macron facing rebellion after far-right backs French immigration bill
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Macron facing rebellion after far-right backs French immigration bill
- Various amendments have seen the immigration measures further tightened from when the bill was originally submitted, with the left accusing the government of caving in to pressure from the far right
Pope Leo discusses war in Ukraine with Russian Orthodox Church official
Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo discussed the war in Ukraine on Saturday with Metropolitan Anthony, a senior cleric in the Russian Orthodox Church, in a possible effort to ease ties between the churches strained by Russia’s invasion.
Leo saw Anthony, chairman of the department of external church relations, and five other high-profile clerics during an audience in the morning, the Vatican said.
“During the conversation, numerous issues were raised concerning the state of Orthodox-Catholic dialogue, as well as the ongoing conflicts in the world, including in Ukraine and the Middle East,” the Russian Orthodox Church said in a statement.
Since assuming the papacy in May, Leo has repeatedly appealed for peace in global conflicts and this month told visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that the Vatican was willing to host Russia-Ukraine peace talks.
Russian officials, however, have said they do not view the Vatican as a serious venue for talks because it is surrounded by NATO member Italy which has supported Ukraine.
The head of Russia’s Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has been an enthusiastic backer of the
invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian church statement said that Kirill’s congratulations were conveyed to Leo for his election as pope.
“Pope Leo XIV expressed his gratitude to his holiness patriarch Kirill for his good wishes and noted the importance of developing relations with the Russian Orthodox Church,” it added.
David Nabarro, British physician who led UN response to Ebola and COVID-19, dies
- “David was a great champion of global health and health equity,” Tedros wrote
- “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world”
GENEVA: Dr. David Nabarro, a British physician who led the UN response to some of the biggest health crises in recent years, including bird flu, Ebola and the coronavirus pandemic, has died.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, confirmed Nabarro’s death on social media platform X.
“David was a great champion of global health and health equity, and a wise, generous mentor to countless individuals,” Tedros wrote Saturday. “His work touched and impacted so many lives across the world.”
King Charles knighted Nabarro in 2023 for his contributions to global health after he served as one of six special envoys to the WHO on COVID-19. He won the 2018 World Food Prize for his work on health and hunger issues.
He also was a candidate for the top job at the WHO in 2017 but lost out to Tedros in the final round of voting. Nabarro left the UN later that year.
The 4SD Foundation, a social enterprise in Switzerland focused on mentoring the next generation of leaders in global sustainable development, said its strategic director died at his home Friday in a “sudden passing.” Other details were not immediately available.
“David’s generosity and unwavering commitment to improve the lives of others will be sorely missed,” the foundation wrote on its website Saturday.
Survivors include his wife, Flo, as well as his five children and seven grandchildren.
Ukraine says its long-range drones hit electronic warfare plant in Russia
- The plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment
- Long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’
KYIV: Ukrainian drones hit a radio and electronic warfare equipment plant in Russia’s Stavropol region in an overnight attack on Saturday, an official from the SBU security service told Reuters.
The official said two facilities at the Signal plant in the city of Stavropol, about 540 km (335 miles) from the Ukrainian border, were damaged in the attacks. He shared several short videos showing an explosion and a large column of dark smoke rising into the sky.
He said the plant was one of Russia’s leading producers of electronic warfare equipment, including radar, radio navigation equipment, and remote control radio equipment.
“This night, long-range SBU drones struck the production facilities of the Stavropol Radio Plant ‘Signal’,” said the SBU official.
“Each such attack stops production processes and reduces the enemy’s military potential. This work will continue.”
Reuters was unable to verify the details of the attack. Russia’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, both sides have launched multiple drone attacks on each other.
Ukraine, which is fighting a much larger Russian army, has developed a drone industry from scratch and is now focusing on increasing its capacity to produce more long-range drones.
Sri Lanka in talks with Middle East Green Initiative to explore climate partnership
- Led by Saudi Arabia, MGI is a regional alliance seeking to mitigate climate change impacts
- Sri Lanka is keen to share experience in climate resilience efforts, Colombo’s envoy says
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka is exploring a potential partnership with the Middle East Green Initiative, Colombo’s envoy to Riyadh told Arab News on Saturday, as the island nation seeks to step up partnerships to combat climate change.
Sri Lanka — home to 22 million people — is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and is particularly at risk of extreme weather events, such as flooding and drought.
On Monday, the Sri Lankan Embassy in Riyadh facilitated an introductory virtual meeting between its Ministry of Environment and the MGI secretary-general “to explore potential ways and means for cooperation and partnership in the fields of environmental protection and sustainable development,” according to a statement.
Led by Saudi Arabia, the MGI was established in 2021 as a regional alliance aimed at mitigating the impacts of climate change and forging collaborations to meet global climate targets in the region.
“The MGI is an important regional initiative spearheaded by Saudi Arabia in combating challenges posed by climate change. We are pleased to see Saudi Arabia is giving a great leadership role in promoting climate action and environmental protection,” Ameer Ajwad, Sri Lanka’s envoy to Saudi Arabia, told Arab News.
Colombo is also keen to share its experience in climate resilience efforts.
“Sri Lanka is actively contributing to the global multilateral climate initiatives. Sri Lanka's expertise and rich experience in the field will be also useful for the MGI process for fostering environmental collaboration and advancing shared climate objectives,” Ajwad said. “For example, Sri Lanka could contribute its expertise in the field of mangrove conservation and sea grass management, et cetera.”
Sri Lanka has led several climate resilience efforts throughout the years, including restoration of its mangrove forests following the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.
The country made a commitment to become the first to replant all of its mangrove forests — a goal the government sought to achieve by providing microloans and education to communities in exchange for mangrove conservation.
In 2022, it launched the Sri Lankan Climate Prosperity Plan to attract foreign investment and accelerate climate adaptation while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
French authorities investigate if Jewish passengers were removed from flight due to religion
- Several dozen French passengers on Wednesday were kicked off a flight leaving the Spanish city of Valencia for Paris
- Barrot, contacted the CEO of Vueling, Carolina Martinoli, to express his deep concern
PARIS: French authorities are trying to establish whether a group of young French citizens were removed from a plane bound for Paris from Spain this week because they are Jewish.
The airline, Vueling, has denied the claims.
Several dozen French passengers on Wednesday were kicked off a flight leaving the Spanish city of Valencia for Paris, for what Spanish police and the airline described as unruly behavior.
France’s ministry for Europe and foreign affairs said in a statement on Saturday that the minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, contacted the CEO of Vueling, Carolina Martinoli, to express his deep concern “about the removal of a group of young French Jews from one of the company’s flights.”
Barrot also requested more information to “determine whether these individuals had been discriminated against on the basis of their religion.”
A similar request has been made to the Spanish ambassador to France.
“Ms. Martinoli assured Mr. Barrot that a thorough internal investigation was underway and that its findings would be shared with the French and Spanish authorities,” the ministry said.
Vueling previously denied reports that the incident, which involved the removal of 44 minors and eight adults from flight V8166, was related to the passengers’ religion.
Some Israeli news outlets reported that the students were Jewish and that their removal was religiously motivated, a claim that was repeated by an Israeli minister online. Spain’s Civil Guard said the minors and adults were French nationals. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the agents involved were not aware of the group’s religious affiliation.
A Vueling spokesperson said the passengers were removed after the minors repeatedly tampered with the plane’s emergency equipment and interrupted the crew’s safety demonstration. A Civil Guard spokesperson said the captain of the plane ordered the removal of the minors from the plane at Valencia’s Manizes Airport after they repeatedly ignored the crew’s instructions.
On Thursday, the Federation for Jewish Communities of Spain expressed concern about the incident. The group said that Vueling needed to provide documentary evidence of what happened on the plane.
